Seven Days Cocktail

The Seven Days Cocktail

Inspired by “Ringu” (1998)
A calm, elegant Japanese cocktail with a dark twist that creeps up on you—smooth, subtle, and quietly cursed.

Skill Level

Medium — a chilled, layered stir with one dramatic flourish at the end.

The Seven Days Cocktail

The Seven Days mirrors Ringu’s quiet horror: restrained, beautiful, and deeply unsettling. 

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Equipment

• Mixing glass or shaker
• Jigger or measuring spoons
• Fine strainer
• Coupe or Nick and Nora glass
• Bar Spoon
• Ice (cubes or large clear sphere)

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 ounces Gin (preferably a Japanese gin like Roku or Ki No Bi)
• 1 1/2 ounces Junmai sake dry, clean, slightly floral
• 1/2 ounce Yuzu juice or lemon juice
• 1/4 ounce Simple syrup
• 2 dashes Green tea or lemongrass bitters option, but does elevate finish
• 1 barspon Homemade blackberry syrup (see below)

Instructions

 

• Mix the base: Add gin, sake, yuzu juice, simple syrup, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
• Stir slowly for about 20 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted.
• Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass.
• Drizzle the blackberry syrup gently into the center of the glass. It will sink and spiral—like Sadako’s hair uncoiling in the water.
• Garnish with your choice of lemon twist or flower.

Notes

Why It Works

The Seven Days mirrors Ringu’s quiet horror: restrained, beautiful, and deeply unsettling. The sake and gin intertwine like old spirits meeting new technology, creating a delicate balance of earthiness and floral brightness. Yuzu juicesharpens it with electric citrus, while the blackberry syrup adds both depth and eerie beauty as it descends into the glass.

It’s cinematic, simple, and hypnotic. Each sip draws you deeper into its calm, inevitable pull. A cocktail you could almost believe was cursed… in the best way possible.

🫐 Quick Blackberry Syrup

Ingredients:

• ½ cup blackberries (fresh or frozen)
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• Optional: squeeze of lemon or drop of vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring until berries soften.
3. Lightly mash, then strain into a container.
4. Let cool before using. Store in fridge up to 1 week.

This syrup adds the perfect visual effect—and just enough sweet darkness—to make your cocktail feel truly haunted.

Pro Tips & Variations

• Can’t find sake? Use dry vermouth for a similar texture and balance.

• Prefer it sparkling? Add a splash of chilled club soda or sparkling sake for a ghostly fizz.

• Zero-proof version: Replace gin with chilled jasmine tea and sake with coconut water; still mysterious, still mesmerizing.

• Visual flair: Drop the syrup just before serving and watch the dark tendrils curl through the drink like a warning from the beyond.

Movie Pairing

Pair with: Ringu (1998)
Much like the film that started a global horror wave, The Seven Days is patient, quiet, and unforgettable. It doesn’t jump—it seeps. The slow swirl of blackberry syrup through the pale base evokes the tape’s ghostly imagery, while the balance of bitter, tart, and floral notes captures the mood of ancient curses meeting modern dread.

Sip it in silence. Keep an eye on the screen. And if the phone rings afterward… maybe don’t answer.